The Spanish market today offers a diverse range of varieties, such as the Brassicaceae family
According to the digital publication GreenMed.eu, the market share of baby fruit and vegetables is growing fast in Spain, where these mini products loved by the best restaurants' chefs are gradually conquering the heart of Spanish consumers.

GreenMed

New Syngenta varieties of brassicas including Crispus, Gustus and Greenland will be on display.
The 2nd Syngenta Whole Crop Agronomy Open Day will be held on 7 September at Syngenta’s UK Vegetable Demonstration Site located near Peterborough in East Anglia. The event offers vegetable growers a valuable opportunity to obtain practical agronomic advice, as well as to see new Syngenta brassica varieties, supported by their respective crop protection programmes.

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The Netherlands has been Belgium’s main source of vegetable imports since 2000
Belgian imports of fresh vegetables totalled 969,000 tonnes in 2009, a decrease of 5.6% in comparison with 2008, according to the digital publication GreenMed.eu. Over the last decade, these imports have shown a downward trend. In 2000, a total of 89,620 tonnes were imported, 21.4% more than in 2007, when 70,426 tonnes were registered.

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During the Open Field Demo Days, Syngenta will introduce the latest varieties of brassicas.
Syngenta will present its innovations in the breeding of vegetable varieties and development of crop protection during the international Open Field Demo Days in Wervershoof, the Netherlands. Visitors can experience the high quality of the new range comprising varieties with excellent uniformity, yield, storage ability and taste. This year, the Open Field Demo Days will take place from Tuesday, 28 September to Thursday 30 September.

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Aim of new initiative is to help consumers choose produce
On July 13, supermarket chain Supermercats Pujol, IRTA (Institute of Agri-food Research & Technology) and Catalan Fruit Producers’ Association Catalonia Qualitat presented a new project by the name of “Paleta de sabores” (Palette of flavours), the aim of which is to classify the taste of fruits in supermarkets according to a colour code.

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Growth of 39% is forecast to 2014
The rise of value retail and high street discounters would appear to be more than just a passing trend. Indeed, it is forecast that the discount and value channel will continue to expand in the UK, and by 2014 it will be worth 8 billion pounds, according to a recent IGD study.

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Positive figures for Tunisian fresh fruit and vegetables production in 2010: an output stable at 607,000 tons is estimated for summer fruits, while tomatoes should reach the threshold of 1m tons this year
According to the digital publication GreenMed.eu, forecasts for this year say that the volumes of summer fruits grown in Tunisia will be stable at 607,000 tons, whereas the number of varieties cultivated in the Country is due to increase.

GreenMed.eu

FRESH fruit and vegetable buyers from all over the world can be confident of finding new and exciting products to source for their own markets when they come to Asia’s premier fresh produce trade fair at the beginning of September
“With more than 20 per cent new exhibitors at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA this year, there are excellent prospects for buyers to meet new suppliers, to make new contacts and to source new products,” says Gérald Lamusse, managing director of Global Produce Events GmbH, which organises the fresh produce trade fair in association with Asiafruit Magazine.

Asia Fruit Logistica

“Restaurants should start considering how they’re going to make kids’ menus healthier”
Last month’s recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) confirmed what Mintel’s research and consumers have already been suggesting: restaurants need healthier menus. Many restaurants have already listened. Between Q2 2009 and Q2 2010 menu items labeled as “healthy” grew 65%, according to Mintel Menu Insights.

Mintel

Broccoli and cauliflower summer harvest areas are expected to decrease 9% and 8% respectively
According to a July report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the prospective area for harvest of cabbage during the summer is forecast at 5,500 hectares, up 12% from 2009. As for broccoli, the area for summer harvest is forecast at 11,370 hectares, down 9% in comparison with last year. Meanwhile, an area of 2,950 hectares is forecast for cauliflower, 8% less than in 2009.

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Children tend to follow their parents’ eating habits
A recent study reveals that Spaniards between the ages of 2 and 24 eat only 1.4 portions of vegetables a day, below the recommended minimum intake of 2 portions a day. As for fruit, Spanish children eat 1.85 portions a day, well below the recommended minimum intake of 3 portions a day.

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Cauliflower and broccoli exports to Germany decreased 34.6%
French cauliflower and broccoli exports decreased in volume in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period of 2009. A total of 58,174 tonnes was registered, 18.7% less than the 71,575 tonnes exported in the same period one year earlier, according to data provided by French Customs.

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Planting difficulties may lead to a fall in production in autumn
The unusually dry and hot weather this July in the UK could seriously affect autumn and winter supplies of British-grown brassicas, the digital publication “The Grocer” reports.

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Production of cabbage for pickling as winter kimchi increased in 2009
This winter has brought complications for the supply of cabbage in South Korea. The harvest has been poor, due in part to a cold and snowy winter, which has caused cabbage prices to soar and is threatening supplies of South Korea’s national dish, kimchi, the Financial Times reports.

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82% of sales were made to the distribution sector
In the first 4 months of 2010, sales of fresh-cut products in Spain totalled 24,001 tonnes, 8.3% more than in the same period of 2009, according to figures announced by AFHORLA, the Spanish Fresh-cut Association which forms part of FEPEX (Spanish Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters).

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The digital publication GreenMed.eu reports that Italy is Tunisia's first importer of food products (42% of the total export volumes), followed by Spain and France. Nationally, the agribusiness industry accounts for 23% of industrial investments.
The agribusiness industry in Tunisia is experiencing a real dynamic growth, being among the leading industrial activities in the country in matters of investment with a 25% increase since 2004, i.e. 23% of the total amounts invested in manufacturing sectors, African Manager reported.

GreenMed

Their target will be to improve the economic continuity for their growers & a better service to customers
Venlo/Almeria – Spanish cooperative Unica from Almeria and ZON Coöperatie from Venlo have agreed to investigate the possibility of working together commercially. Both organisations are active in the sales and marketing of fruit and vegetables on behalf of their affiliated growers, and supply direct from the grower to the customer. The target of this cooperation will be to improve the economic continuity for their growers as well as a better service to customers.

Zon fruit and vegetables and Unica Group - July 2010

A protocol specifies the characteristics to be observed in Brussels spouts during the entire process from production to commercialisation.
The Argentinean Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries has recently approved a new quality protocol with which Brussels sprouts will have to comply in order to obtain the “Argentine Food a Natural Choice” seal.

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The acreage assigned to both cabbage and cauliflower crops showed an upward trend in the 3-year period from 2006 to 2009
Indian cauliflower production totalled 6.6 million tonnes during the 2008/09 season, an increase of 9.9% in comparison with the previous season, when 5.9 million tonnes were harvested, according to data released by the Horticulture division of the Indian Ministry of Agriculture.

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Cauliflower production fell 8% during the same period
In 2000, a total of 308,710 tonnes of cabbage were harvested in Spain, but in 2007 production had decreased 22% to 239,973 tonnes, according to data from “Frutas y Hortalizas en España” (Fruit and Vegetables in Spain), the latest report published by Fundación Cajamar.

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86.6% of imports came from Spain
French cauliflower and broccoli imports increased in volume in the first 4 months of this year, compared with the same period of 2009. A total of 17,196 tonnes was registered, 2.3% more than the 16,810 tonnes imported in the same period one year earlier, according to data provided by French Customs.

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New varieties of broccoli, together with renowned varieties of cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, were presented at the event.
Syngenta staged its first Whole Crop Agronomy Open Day in the UK on 15 June. The event, hosted by the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) at its headquarters near Peterborough, aimed to give practical agronomy advice, as well as show innovative production systems.

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EC research studies the impact of F&V pigments on human health
Anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for the red, blue and purple colour of several fruits and vegetables, could be highly beneficial to human health. A research project christened the Athena Project has been developed by the European Commission to investigate further in this field.

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The aim is to offer buyers an efficient and convenient service
Since 1 July, Germans have been able to buy their fruits and vegetables from a new portal launched by the German branch of the international online distributor Amazon.

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Report promotes a plant-based diet & physical activity to improve health
June 2010 saw the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Report, which will form the basis of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the USDA and HHS to promote nutrition education activities among the American population. This year’s publication emphasises an urgent need for American society to consume more fruits and vegetables if the goals of changing unhealthy eating patterns and reducing obesity are to be achieved.

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China, Indonesia, Syria and Uzbekistan have been the top Asian cabbage exporters since 1997
China was the top Asian cabbage exporter between 1997 and 2007, shipping a total of 278,000 tonnes in 2007. This country was also the leading cabbage producer in Asia over this period, recording a volume of 37 million tonnes in 2008, according to data from the Statistics Division of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAOSTAT).

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“EU programmes of this sort can really help our producers in an increasingly competitive world”
The programmes were approved in 14 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom) to provide information on and to promote agricultural products in the European Union.

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The Middle East is gaining in importance as a destination for fresh vegetable exports, with the United Arab Emirates becoming the third most important market in 2008-2009
According to Ausveg data, in 2008-2009, Australia’s leading import sources of fresh vegetables were China, New Zealand, the United States, Peru and Mexico. With respect to exports, the most important destinations were Japan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Malaysia.

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